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Friday, May 12, 2017

What's Your (Creative) Type?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:How did you think of that? Where did that idea
come from? How often have we wondered about that or been asked that? How often have we tried to untangle and understand our own thought processes? How do the successful people do it?

Those
of us who do something creative—writing, or painting, or music, whatever it is—why
are we the ones who feel compelled to do so? If we understood our own creativity, could we-- be better at it?

The
brilliant Meta Wagner has thought about this—not only for herself, but for all
of us. And because we all love to take quizzes (and believe the answers,) she studied the human mind, and created a structure of “creative types.”

And she
suggests, in her fascinating new book WHAT’S YOUR CREATIVE TYPE? we all fit
into one of them. All we have to do is take her quiz to find out which one! (And then get her book to find out what it means--and how it can help!)

Which
one are you? Turns out I’m a—well, first, let’s hear more from Meta.

HANK: Can you remember a
time when you were completely engrossed in a creative activity as a child? How
has that memory shaped you as a writer?

MetaWagner: When I was a kid, I’d wake up on Sunday mornings way earlier than my
parents or my sister. Still in my PJs, I’d sit on my bedroom floor and write
little poems and stories during those hours of solitude and put them in a
shoebox that I kept in a secret hiding place. I don’t really know why I felt
the need for such secrecy! There was something about the early morning quiet
that allowed me to just be in the moment, without anything else to do. It was
pure.

It’s
harder for me to find that pure experience now. But I think where I come
closest is when I’m on deadline and there’s no time for distractions – I’m
focused and there are just my ideas and my words and my desire to make the
writing sharp, mostly for my own satisfaction.

Hank: You’ve developed the
concept of the five creative types. How did you come up with it, and what are
the types?

Meta:
I teach a class at Emerson College that asks the question, “Why do people
create?” I looked into hundreds of famous creators in all the arts, from Ernest
Hemingway to Meryl Streep to Lin-Manuel Miranda, and I discovered that they
have such a clear understanding of
their reasons for doing creative work. At the same time, I, personally, kept
coming up with new book ideas that I’d be really excited about but then abandon
out of fear or doubts. Sound familiar to anyone?

I
wondered, what if we all could become motivated like the masters? And so I
grouped their motivations into five categories and translated those into
creative types: A-Lister, Artisan, Game Changer, Sensitive Soul, and Activist.
Once people identify their type and become aware of their strongest motivations,they can return to these motivations anytime they have trouble getting started
or breaking through creative blocks.

Hank: In honor of
Mother’s Day, what advice to you have for moms who want to write or paint or do
anything creative but can’t seem to find the time?

Meta:
If you’re a mom who’s pulled in multiple directions with barely a moment for
yourself, creativity might seem like a low priority or a luxury you can’t
afford. But, I believe if the creative urge is strong in you, you’ll find a
way.

Creative
expression is also important—study after study shows that it’s good for your
mental health! Maybe you could spend ten minutes a day doing creative writing
exercises or plotting your novel. Maybe once a month you could go to a reading
at a bookstore to get inspired. And, then, as your kids get older, you might
finally have the time to write the novel you’ve been “training” for all these
years.

Jungle Reds, tell us why
writing (or any creative activity) is so important to you? What are your
motivations for doing it?

HANK: And as it turns
out—my quiz results were very different from what I predicted! Whoa. Now I have
to see what that means. And Reds and readers--what's your type?

To figure out your
creative type, take this fun quiz and post the results in the comments--and on Facebook and Twitter
if you’d like! http://snapp.to/2lHVOEY

How
do the world’s greatest creators produce such amazing works despite experiencing
the same doubts and fears as the rest of us?What’s Your Creative Type? cracks the code, revealing that legendary
artists don’t just possess talent, they also understand their motivations for
creating. Whether you write, paint, film, act, dance, develop software, or even
play the ukulele as a hobby or a profession, What’s Your Creative Type? can teach you to identify your creative
type (A-Lister, Artisan, Game Changer, Sensitive Soul, or Activist) and discover
your motivations so you can break through blocks to finally fulfill your
creative potential.

Meta Wagner is the author of What's Your Creative Type (Seal Press).
She is a contributor to Boston Globe
opinion pages, was a columnist for PopMatters,
and has written for Huffington Post, Chicago Tribune, Salon, and Wall Street
Journal custom studios. She was also a 2017 TedxBU speaker. Meta teaches creative
and communications writing at Emerson College and Boston University and also
teaches a seminar on creativity that served as the basis for her book. Her
background is in public relations and marketing. To connect with Meta, visit www.metawagner.com.

91 comments:

This is quite fascinating . . . and not something I’ve really thought about before.I had no particular idea about the quiz or what type I might be . . . now I’m definitely going to read your book, Meg, to find out why I’m a Sensitive Soul . . . .

That was interesting - but way too limited, in my view, with several choices I wanted to pick, and the need for more depth. As I find all those kinds of tests that claim to tell you your type (Sorry, Meta, nothing personal!) I just find "typing" someone frustrating and not realistic. Anyway - Artisan.

Of course you're an artisan! And that fun test is just a way to find out what doorway you might want to enter to uncover your hidden depths! And I love the quiz, and think it's a great way to get us all thinking in a different way.

Hi Edith. I get what you mean because of course nobody's any one thing. But it's a tool for identifying your primary motivations for doing creative. Another option is to see which aspects of each type resonate with you!

I love quizzes--and have never seen one on this topic. Of course the choices were hard, but that's probably part of the point, right Meta? You're forced to choose the one that feels most closely aligned with the way your mind works...

Oops--sorry I didn't see this earlier, Lucy. You're exactly right--some people will recognize their type right away. For others, it may take more effort to choose between 2 because they might have strong aspects within them from a second type (such as an Activist who's most driven by political purpose but certainly gets absorbed in the writing process--like George Orwell).

That quiz was interesting...I am an Artisan. Not a big surprise for me, I am interested in the process more than the results. My main creative endeavour is cooking (and baking). I have seen (and read) interviews by actors and musicians who say they clearly know why they chose their profession, and do what they do.

Hi Karen. Great question! The research I did was initially for a course I developed and have been teaching at Emerson College for several years. I looked at famous creators' diaries and journals, essays they wrote about their creativity, TV interviews, print interviews, profiles on them, ted talks and other lectures, and also works and studies by creativity theorists. I took all that material and recognized 5 overriding categories of motivations and translated those into creative types!

I tested as an Artisan, which didn't surprise me, as I'm all about putting things together and making them work. I love to get lost in my writing, or research, or the process of designing something new, and some of my best moments have come when it's just me, my tea, and some lovely music as I hand-stitch a new quilt in the strong morning sunlight. (Mind you, this is before the cat wakes up to the fact that she can have Mom, a hammocky fabric thing, and moving string all in one place.)

I have ordered your book Meta, and look forward to reading it, then passing it along to the creative kids I mentor.

Well, Gigi, cats have their passions, too… And there are no books to help us understand them! And yes, isn't that the zone? That we all have to find a way to get to. Thing is, this is what the book is for! It can help us find our way there.

So interesting. Going now to take the quiz... We used to do something like this when I had a 'real' job in managing and consulting in high tech. Was it Myers Briggs? Of course that wasn't about creativity. Useful insights.

I remember taking the Kundera preference test, I think it was, and I came out testing strongly in literature and persuasive. The counselor said to me: oh, you should be a bookseller. I've gotta think she might have thought that through a little more, although… Look where I am. Meta, isn't that hilarious?

Hallie, I think they still do those (but I fled corporate life, too, so who knows for sure!). This is directly about creative motivations, but personality definitely plays a role! And, Hank, I've never heard of that test, but doesn't being a bookseller sound really fun? Let's apply at Brookline Booksmith!

Rhys: I don't think there is a creative type for someone like me who has to write because if I didn't I'd have to clean the house or play bridge, both of which I hate! Actually I write the books I want to read but are not on the shelf. What type does that make me?

Interesting, but like Edith, I wanted to choose several. Or none. So it's not something that really worked for me. (And I'm pretty sure I'm not a Sensitive Soul :^)) I have the feeling creativity is something I don't want to analyze too much; rather, just let it happen in its own way.

I agree! And so funny, the questions seem easy on the face of them, but when you actually have to choose, that's when the digging deep gets interesting. And I have decided that if I ever think it's easy, I am not working hard enough.

Hank, I took it again answering as the public persona I put on to avoid introverting awkwardly all over people and I got what I'll bet most people would assume was the right one for me - 'A-Lister, you want to have an emotional impact on the audience, you live for the applause!'

Meta, so interesting. Taking the test made me think about my creative process in a different way. I took it once, picking the answers I felt most strongly about, and came out an Artisan. Then I took it again, picking the answers that I debated over the first time, and came out an A-Lister. Which really surprised me! I think most of us who do creative things incorporate bits of all the types. Is that what you've found in your research?

I got the same results after taking it two times, also! Artisan and then A-lister! Meta, do you find that people become more frank about their motivations as they dig into the process of learning their type?

Hi Ingrid. I've noticed that sometimes people are a little reluctant to acknowledge their A-Lister traits. But it's so great to be aware of them and be able to even laugh at one's need for attention or audience approval--I have to admit that those are motivators for A-Listy me!

I always have trouble with quizzes. Not enough choices or no answers I would normally pick. Oh well. I came out a Sensitive Soul, which did not surprise me at all. Any "artistic" projects I undertake (very infrequently) I do for me. So be very careful and do not hurt my feelings. On the other hand I have a very robust sense of humor so I can usually handle the slings and arrows!

I thought I would be an A-Lister, but I got an Artisan. Now I need to read up on it. I tend to think of writing in very business like terms - amount of pages to get written each day, promo strategy for the book, watching the market trends, etc. What I realized taking the test, however, is that what i enjoy the most it the process. I am most fulfilled when I fall down the rabbit hole and am completely immersed in another world. When I get to play with words, trying to make the experience humorous, that's when I achieve joy. Very interesting. I am really looking forward to reading up on this, Meta.

Hi Jenn. What you just described is classic Artisan! I think it's great when Artisans also have a little bit of the A-Lister emphasis on publication in them so they actually share their work with the world and don't keep it in the proverbial drawer.

Meta, I know you're on wild book tour--but can you tell us a bit about how using that quick simple test can be used to think about how we create? I know the quiz result in one tiny step into our personal creativity processes. You wrote a whole book about it! But just a taste..

The quiz is a fun and hopefully revealing way to get someone thinking about why creativity is so important to them. My book contains stories of/quotes from successful writers from Hemingway to Didion to Kingsolver to Francine Prose and painters, dancers, filmmakers who are very clear on their reasons for writing, etc.--this spurs readers to think about their own reasons. And also some cautionary tales, advice, and exercises--a truly in-depth exploration that the quiz just touches upon!

I got Sensitive Soul, not a surprise. However, the thing about quizzes is that taken on another day, a different result is entirely possible. Also, I wonder what they call someone who keeps wanting to add choices to a quiz. Hahaha!

Interesting post, and very interesting idea. Thank you for writing it and to the Reds for hosting. I will look for the book, I think. And on the mini-quiz, I got Artisan which is not altogether surprising. Though I - like many others- have bits of other types, the truth is that the creative process is why I keep doing it. And though I am the opposite of a crafter,I do cook, and for the same reason. (Because, the almost immediate reward, so unlike a book. And eating :-) )

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